Each of the 62 ranking lists reports the top 20 schools (of the 371 in the book) in a specific category. The Princeton Review does not rank the schools in the book 1 to 371. A college’s appearance on a Best 371 Colleges ranking list is entirely the result of what its own students surveyed by The Princeton Review reported about their campus experiences, as well as how they rated various aspects of their college life, from the dining hall food to the athletic/recreational facilities on campus. No ranking list reflects The Princeton Review’s opinion of (or rating of) the colleges.
Eighty-five percent of the colleges in Best 371 Colleges appear on one or more of its ranking lists in the 2010 Edition.
Note: The Princeton Review college rankings are different from The Princeton Review college ratings. The college ratings are numerical scores that appear in the school profiles in Best 371 Colleges (as well as in Best Northeastern Colleges and Complete Book of Colleges) and on The Princeton Review site. These scores are on a scale of 60-99. We tally them using school-reported data and/or data from our surveys of students attending the schools. Among the eight rating categories are: Admissions Selectivity, Financial Aid, Fire Safety and a Green rating.
The Princeton Review college ranking lists are tallied in eight general categories: Academics/Administration, Quality of Life, Politics, Demographics, Social Life, Extracurriculars, Parties, and Schools by Type. Here, by category, is a list of the 62 ranking lists with information on the student survey question(s) upon which each ranking is based:
Academics / Administration
Best Classroom Experience
Based on students’ answers to several survey questions including how they rate their professors, their classroom and lab facilities, the amount of in-class time devoted to discussion, and the percent of classes they attend.
Students Study the Most
Students Study the Least
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How many out-of-class hours do you spend studying each day?”
Professors Get High Marks
Professors Get Low Marks
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “Are your instructors good teachers?”
Most Accessible Professors
Least Accessible Professors
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How accessible are your instructors outside the classroom?”
Class Discussions Encouraged
Class Discussions Rare
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How much of your overall class time is devoted to discussion as opposed to lectures?”
Most Popular Study Abroad Program
Based on students’ answers to the survey question, “How popular is studying abroad at your school?”
Best Career Services
Based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How do you rate your school’s career/job placement services?”
Best College Library
This is a Library?
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How do you rate your school’s library facilities?”
Great Financial Aid
Students Dissatisfied with Financial Aid
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “If you receive financial aid, how satisfied are you with your financial aid package?”
School Runs Like Butter
Long Lines and Red Tape
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “Overall, how smoothly is your school run?”
Quality of Life
Happiest Students
Least Happy Students
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “Overall, how happy are you?”
Most Beautiful Campus
Least Beautiful Campus
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How do you rate the beauty of your campus?”
Easiest Campus to Get Around
Based on students’ assessments of ease of getting around their campus.
Best Campus Food
Is it Food?
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How do you rate the food on campus?”
Dorms Like Palaces
Dorms Like Dungeons
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How do you rate the comfort of your campus dorms?”
Best Quality of Life
Based on students’ answers to several survey questions including how they rate: the beauty, safety, and location of their campus, their campus dorms and food, their ease in getting around the campus and in dealing with the administration, the friendliness of fellow students and interaction among different student types on campus, and their overall happiness. This list correlates with the schools receiving the 20 highest scores on the “Quality of Life” rating in the school profiles.
Politics
Most Conservative Students
Most Liberal Students
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “Politically, are you: left-wing, Democrat, middle, Republican, right-wing?”
Most Politically Active Students
Election? What election?
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How popular are political/activist groups on your campus?”
Demographics
Lots of Race/Class Interaction
Little Race/Class Interaction
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “Do different types of students (black/white, rich/poor) interact frequently and easily at your school?”
Gay Community Accepted
Alternative Lifestyle Not An Alternative
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “Do students, faculty, and administrators at your college treat all persons equally regardless of their sexual orientations?”
Most Religious Students
Least Religious Students
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How religious are students at your school?”
Social Life
Great College Towns
More to Do on Campus
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How do you rate the city or town where your school is located?”
Town-Gown Relations are Great
Town-Gown Relations are Strained
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How well do students at your college get along with members of the local community?”
Extracurriculars
Best Athletic Facilities
Based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How do you rate the recreational/athletic facilities at your school?”
Students Pack the Stadiums
Intercollegiate Sports Unpopular or Nonexistent
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How popular are intercollegiate sports at your school?”
Everyone Plays Intramural Sports
Nobody Plays Intramural Sports
Based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How popular are intramural sports at your school? “
Best College Radio Station
Based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How popular is the college radio station?”
Best College Newspaper
Based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How popular is your campus newspaper?”
Best College Theater
Based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How popular are your college’s theater productions?”
Parties
Lots of Beer
Got Milk?
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How widely is beer used at your school?”
Lots of Hard Liquor
Scotch and Soda, Hold the Scotch
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How widely is hard liquor used at your school?”
Reefer Madness
Don’t Inhale
Both lists are based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How widely is marijuana used at your school?”
Major Frat and Sorority Scene
Based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How popular are fraternities/sororities at your school?”
Schools by Type
Party Schools
Stone-Cold Sober Schools
Both lists are based on students’ answers to survey questions concerning: the use of alcohol and drugs at their school, the number of hours they study each day outside of class time, and the popularity of fraternities/sororities at their school. Schools on the “Party Schools” list are those at which surveyed students’ answers indicated: low personal daily study hours (outside of class), high usages of alcohol and drugs on campus, and high popularity on campus for frats/sororities. Schools on the “Stone-Cold Sober Schools” list are those at which surveyed students’ answers indicated a combination of: high personal daily study hours (outside of class), low usages of alcohol and drugs on campus, and low popularity on campus for frats/sororities.
Jock Schools
Dodgeball Targets
Both lists are based on students’ answers to survey questions concerning the popularity on campus of intercollegiate and intramural sports, and of fraternities/sororities.
Future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution
Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians
Both lists are based on students’ answers to survey questions concerning: their own political persuasion, the use of marijuana at the school, how religious students are at the school, the popularity of student government on campus, and the level of acceptance of the gay community on campus. Schools on the list “Future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution” are those at which surveyed students’ answers indicated: their personal political persuasions to be very conservative, low levels of acceptance of the gay community on campus, high levels of popularity for student government on campus, and a very religious student body. Schools on the list “Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians” are those at which surveyed students’ answers indicated: their personal political persuasions to be very liberal, high levels of acceptance of the gay community on campus, low levels of popularity for student government on campus, and a student body that is not very religious.